1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a handling device for persons with a limited gripping function, in particular for gripping everyday items or utensils, such as pens.
2. Description of Related Art
Disabled persons who have sufficient motor capacities to move their limbs (arms, although the legs would of course also be conceivable) with a certain degree of control are however frequently prevented by their disabilities from handling items (for example from holding such items in their hands), i.e. for example from gripping and using various everyday items or utensils such as cups, pens, tools or the like in order to write, paint or work therewith. Such persons are generally unable to grip a cup and put it down again and must therefore rely on a straw or on extraneous assistance when drinking. They also need to be able to use or change their tool for themselves when painting, drawing or working. They required the help of others every time they wanted to pick up a different pen or brush. The change-over is then also relatively time-consuming in each case and an assistant must be close at hand at all times.
A broad range of efforts have been made (and are still being made) to improve this situation. There have thus been various attempts to develop rehabilitation robots which might assist or support the everyday lives of those suffering from the most serious disabilities. However, a drawback of these attempts is still their high costs and the complexity of the technical implementation thereof. They are also aimed at a different target group, namely persons whose disability completely prevents them from moving or from controlling automatic aids for themselves.
Also known are so-called gripping aids or reachers which are an aid enabling people who have difficulty walking to pick up or to put down remote items, such as may be found by typing “gripping aid” into Internet search engines or are known from U.S. Pat. No. 4,711,482 A. These are not suitable or not expedient for the aforementioned group of persons either.
In addition, prosthetics has developed highly complex and expensive means which act as a substitute for the hands. All of these means attach great importance to maximum visual adaptation (aesthetics) to the human body, although this is also correspondingly complex and expensive and indeed beyond the means of many.
The rehabilitation of persons suffering from multiple physical disabilities (for example tetraplegics) also frequently involves the production of individual adaptors (orthotics) for the hands to allow such persons to hold for example cutlery, writing or painting means or table tennis bats. Many of these aids also require an assistant for picking up or changing everyday items or utensils.
On the other hand, there are simpler, relatively cost-effective aids allowing users with disabilities to carry out everyday activities such as, for example, writing. Various writing aids or writing orthotics are thus known, as may be seen from the website www.proaktivo.de/produkts_id/2153.html which shows a writing orthotic in which a ring support for the index finger and a pen mount are provided on a hand adaptor (clasp). See also DE 699 16 040 T2, DE 89 07 363 U1, DE 69716 948 T21 DE 200 10 999 U1, DE 197 00 782 A1, DE 195 36 119 C1, DE 88 01 706 U1 or DE 297 05 842 U1. However, these aids do not allow the tool fastened therein to be changed without extraneous assistance either. In addition, a user of these products must also have certain motor capacities in order to be able to use them satisfactorily for his needs.